Joanne Olney

I am a UK based artist, living and working in Surrey, not far from the cultural stimulation of London. Art is my second career. I like to think that I’ve been training for decades, waiting for an opportunity to realise my ambition to become a professional artist. The opportunity came with redundancy in 2018, after a lengthy and rewarding career as an Occupational Therapist. Over the past 30 years I have experimented with a diverse range of techniques and attended numerous courses from printmaking and textiles through to jewellery, photography and painting. All the skills I’ve acquired are embedded in my process. I find the seasons, landscapes and the effects of changing light, constant sources of inspiration. My work is semi-abstract, often featuring multiple layers and glazes to reveal traces of what has has gone before. I am drawn to muted colours, adding experimental mark making for definition. I aspire to create atmosphere and a sense of place, painting intuitively, mostly from my imagination. I enjoy photography and sometimes incorporate this into my work. I started to exhibit in 2019 and in February won a competition organised by Hastings Contemporary, formerly The Jerwood Gallery. In 2020 I was selected by the Royal Watercolour society to exhibit in their annual ‘Open’ exhibition at Bankside Gallery in London. I am an exhibiting member of Dorking Group of Artists. I am also a member of Alice Sheridan’s ‘Connected Artists’ club and Nicholas Wilton’s Art2Life Academy.